"Why didn't you tell us about Don? He is a liability if anyone found him. He could tell everyone what we can do." Santino glared at me. I could feel his anger. His disappointment. Didn't faze me.
I leaned into Santino with my finger hands on my hip. "To be honest. I was trying to scare him away, but he embraced me. He wants nothing more than to love me. I couldn't turn him away after that. Besides, I deserve a chance at normalcy. You told me that when you pushed me away."
Santino pulled me into a hug and I took a deep breath. I always loved his scent. The smell of him has never changed. He always smelled of warm honey and lemon. It reminded me of the days when we were younger and would play in the park. I would always cry for some reason and Santino was always there to comfort me.
Santino whispered in my ear and I nearly froze, "Do you love him more than me?"
I froze. I asked myself that question many times. I realized how intimate our hug was and removed myself from his embrace. "We need to keep business as usual. I know where my heart lies, but I also want a chance at a normal life. We deal in humans, drugs, guns, and murder. I want to experience a life where I can be with a man that works at a reputable job, and we can make dinner without worrying if our food's been poisoned. I know I can never truly live a normal life, and I can never outrun this life my parents have destined me to, but I want to try. You…You broke me. I had to repair myself. I did it with no one's help. But Don was there to embrace the hastily put together pieces."
Santino was silent and I avoided looking at him. He placed a hand under my chin, forcing the eye contact. I got lost in his eyes. "That's not fair to him. You love me but are using him for something unattainable." His body began to smolder. I could smell the fire, but the smell of honey and lemon intensified. He was intoxicating. "You and I belong together. We are the only two beings like us on this planet. I know your parents didn't fill you in and for some reason, I cannot tell you everything, but I know we belong together. Under these suns, we are meant for each other." He stopped and the smell of honey and lemon became overwhelming. The smoke emanating from his body engulfed the room.
I took a deep breath. "Control yourself. You are not telling me anything I don't know. But I am with Don. So, back to our other problems. We need to go to Kitten's house. I know I said stakeout, but I want to go in."
Santino's voice was deflated, "Why?"
I scratched the back of my head. A headache was starting to form. "I have a feeling. I can't explain it. Maybe she will actually tell me what she did with my parents. I just feel…optimistic."
Santino sighed. I saw the frustration in his face. I stayed away from his hazel eyes and was ready, "Let's go."
Sitting in the car my head began to pound. "Santino. My head is killing me. Something isn't right." The pounding picked up to a quick rhythm, in line with my heartbeat.
Santino looked at me with worry. "Is it another…?"
"I don't think so. Just a regular headache." I closed my eyes and instantly drifted into sleep.
My mind went blank. I felt myself drifting through space. I blinked. I was standing in a meadow; I heard a light whisper. That voice. Why is it so familiar? I laid down in the flowers. Orange roses. White roses. I looked up into the trees. There were lemon trees and a bunch of bees. The hum of the bees made my skin itch with anticipation.
'Kitarya. Can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me! Kitarya. Come find me!'
That voice. It's…my…mother.
I jumped awake. "Santino, my mother is alive. She's in a meadow or something." I checked my body frantically. I felt her presence.
Santino stared at me with wide eyes. "Where is she? Are you sure it's her?"
"Yes. She used to do…this thing…like invade my dreams when I was little. She's alive. We have to find her. We need to find a meadow, where is there a meadow? She's close to here. The closer she was the more intense the headache. I never learned how to communicate back to her."
Santino started to drive. We drove for hours. I was frantic but tried to stay calm. I had been crying since the vision. I could since the panic in Santino's driving. My heart felt like it was going to explode. My parents…are alive. No one believed me, but here my mother was communicating with me. I know it's her. It has to be her.
The headache finally increased to an unbearable throb. My mind was racing.
"Shit! She's here somewhere. Let's look around." I stepped out of the car and screamed out in pain. I fell to my knees. My vision went blurry and the sound around me pushed me into a state of panic. My heart started racing, it felt like it was trying to escape from my chest. Then darkness welcomed me.
I heard voices rumbling. The room smelled like a candy shop on a warm day.
"I probably overdid it. She should be waking up soon." My mother's voice sounded so close. I couldn't open my eyes because I didn't want to know if it was real or not. I could smell her. She smelled of cocoa. I also smelled something fresh like citrus, maybe with a hint of pine. My parents were here.
I sat up slowly. The first thing I saw was Santino. I made the mistake of looking directly into his eyes. I was lost but quickly snapped out of it. I looked to his right. A woman with black eyes stared back at me. Her eyes shone in the light and became lighter as she relaxed, and laying on her lap was a man. A man that I knew well, his eyes were closed and he looked weak. My parents are alive. I am staring at them. They are here in my living room.
I examined their faces. Dirty, sunken and famished. My dad looked like he was shaking death's hand, but I quickly dismissed that notion. I opened my mouth, but no words escaped. I could feel tears trying to escape the walls I built to hide them. My mother smiled and moved to comfort me but started to collapse. Before I could reach her, Santino caught her.
"Thanks Santino. I can tell that you have been taking care of my daughter. She looks beautiful and healthy. Happiness fills her eyes. They aren't as brown as mine, curious. Do they turn black with hunger as well?"
Santino laughed, "Mainly anger."
"You were always were concerned with the wrong issues. Mom, where have you been? What happened to the two of you? Why…?"
She held up her hand. "First, I need to heal your father. I will need your help, but it seems your energy is a lot weaker than it should be. It feels like you're yaria is in eight different places."
I froze. The one thing my mother always told me was to hide my powers from everyone, especially Lucifer. Only Santino and his family were to know of my powers since he had his own. "I…I…"
Her eyes got even darker and the air felt thin. Oh shit. She's gonna kill me.
Santino spoke, "She shares her blood with six other humans…and Lucifer. It gives them powers and gives us the advantage over our competition. I am sorry Mrs. Lina, but there was nothing I could do to stop this from happening. It was her will."
Damn Santino. I hated that he was so loyal. I could have told her myself. I stared at my mother. Her eyes letting me know exactly how angry she was at this information.
She never held back her anger. I opened my mouth but closed it again immediately. "I am sorry."
My father coughed. "Well, at least we know she is alive. Do not be mad at her, Lina. She did what she had to survive. Kit, my love, come closer."
I moved to his side and looked at his face. His icy blue eyes pierced mine. I tried to take in his whole face, but I didn't want to see his weakened state. My heart ached at the pressure he put on me. "Yes, Father."
"Your yaria is strong." He laughed. "Much like mine. I don't think you've tapped into your true power. It's still there. Give me your hand and close your eyes."
I placed my hand in his. As soon as my eyes closed, I felt like a part of my soul had been ripped off. I screamed in pain and felt a surge of energy flow through me. I felt my veins burn and my head throbbed. Something inside me felt at ease, even though my body was burning.
"Wow!" My father sat up, more energy flowed through him. "That wasn't supposed to hurt you. I am sorry. You are definitely a…"
"We can tell her that later. You are weaker than I expected by this age. Part of it is due to lack of training, but I sharing your blood definitely played a part in this. You'll have access to your full power, but you may need to get your yaria back from the others." My mother interrupted. Her face was stern and my body felt heavy.
I was in Santino's arms in an instant. His warmth calmed me. I inhaled his scent and collected my thoughts. "We need to talk. I need to know where you two were imprisoned. I went to that factory multiple times and couldn't find you. I know I would have sensed you, or smelles you." I stopped and thought about it for a second. "Wait, I can barely sense you now."
My mother opened her mouth, but my father laughed. "I think I should take over this one. Kitten has been keeping us heavily sedated for years and slowly poisoning us. The poisons she used were not of this world. Somehow, she got a hold of plants and herbs from our home planet. Your father mentioned yaria earlier. Do you remember what that is?"
I looked at my parents then up to Santino. "It's something to do with lifeforce energy and how it manifests in us. Right?"
My mother nodded. "Kitten, specifically tested different poisons that drained our yaria and sedated us to the point of uselessness. I do not know where she got such items, let alone the knowledge of how to use them, but her methods were extremely effective. It doesn't make much sense because we are usually immune to such things, even from our home planet." My mother's voice boiled with rage but you couldn't tell from her calm demeaner.
Santino's body tensed and he pulled me closer, "How did the two of you escape?"
"I am dying. So, they stopped poisoning me for the couple of last months. Lina, has been syphoning some of my yaria, since it was poison free and created an explosion for us to escape."
Every word after 'dying,' didn't reach my ears. "But you look like you are improving. Not dying, just healing." I couldn't wrap my head around everything that was just shared with me.
My mother and father being poisoned by some unnamed substances, my father weakened and possibly dying, my world slowly being changed. I looked up at Santino and he didn't say a word. His eyes just rested on my parents. I knew what he was thinking. I knew he wanted to slow the information my parents were giving us, but I needed to know everything.
Everyone was silent. My father spoke softly and without hesitation, "I am still dying. Even now I can feel my yaria waning. I don't…"
"Stop!" My mother's body glowed. "Don't worry Kit, I will not let him die that easily." Her voice was clear but the unease in her eyes told me she was lost.
Santino spoke, "So the two of you were responsible for the explosion at the bread factory? That makes sense. We need to find Kitten and James."
"James is irrelevant. Kitten is priority. If she has ties to our world, she is the most dangerous for us. She is trying to cause the destruction of this planet." My father coughed, "Santino, where are your parents?"
Santino froze and said nothing. His eyes never left my father's, and they both nodded after a few seconds.
"His parents died. Santino woke up one day and they didn't. We suspected that they were murdered, but their bodies were undisturbed and our team's autopsy revealed nothing."
My parents were silent, both mourning the loss of their friends. Were Santino's parents poisoned? Was it the same poison that was killing my father?
I was the first to speak, "I have clean clothes upstairs for you mom. I think you can take a bath and father there should be some clothes that can fit you in the guest room closet. I need to gather the others and figure out our next move. We have about 18 more hours of night left. If you two escaped that hellhole, I need to find out what the poison is to get a cure made."
My father stood, "Where is Lucifer now?"
His words felt like a boulder barreling into me. I stood frozen. Lucifer. He had something to do with this.
Santino's voice was low and clear, "He disobeyed Kit earlier. He should be at home under lock and key."
I could hear my mother's blood boiling. Her temper was always amusing as a child because it was directed at my father, but this feeling she stirs in me feels dangerous.
My father looked at my mother and smirked, "Lina, calm down. We don't know if he had anything to do with this."
"I WILL NOT! KIT, WHY DOES HE HAVE YOUR BLOOD?"
Santino moved to my side and my mother noticed. My mother was terrifying. Her hair started to bristle and a pale red aura surrounded her body. Oh shit.
"It was all my idea. I wanted the advantage over my enemies. We wanted to expand, but he said he knew a doctor that could help. Seeing you here now and knowing what was happening. I realized that he played me. He lied about everything."
My mother calmed a bit, "The doctor, was it the same one that gave him the scar?"
Santino spoke this time. I was grateful for him. "Yes. I found out through research. He was trying to become immortal, resulting in the murder of his cousin."
My mother and father exchanged looks before she asked, "Have you met this doctor?"
I shook my head, "Lucifer keeps that part of his business to himself. I just went along with it for the benefits to my side of the business. Santino, kept tabs on the experiments in relation to our team and tracked the changes in Lucifer's body."
"Damn! I knew he was a part of something that would affect us. I know he is working with Kitten. We need to get your yaria from him." My father's voice rang this time. His determination seemed to give him more energy.
"Oh shit! Santino, we have to get Don and Seraph. They are at safe spot three. I'll head over now. Please stay with my parents. I will be back shortly."
Just then, the room began to fill with smoke. A gas unfamiliar to me. I heard laughter. I heard Lucifer.