Juniper Santiago - Book 2 of The Santiago Series

Roman was heading to the throne room when one of his lieutenants ran up to him to inform him that Mateo had officially taken over the Werewolf Castle. He didn’t know what to make of the news, so he immediately sought out his father.

“Roman, what can I do for you?” Damien asked him.

“Mateo has taken over the Werewolf Royal Castle and I can’t ask Max about it because he’s gone,” Roman informed.

Damien’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you think he’s realized his true power?”

“Mateo is a smart man dad, so there’s no way he’d take on the Werewolf Castle if he hadn’t. What I’m trying to figure out is how he did it because I’m confident that despite his power, there’s no way he did it alone,” Roman argued.

“Are you aware of the attack at the Vampire Kingdom?” Damien questioned.

Roman nodded. “Do you think they’re somehow connected?”

“I can’t say I know for sure, but it seems suspicious enough to me. It’s definitely something worth checking out. You need to cover all your bases here, especially since if there is a connection, then it would seem Mateo is gearing up for war,” Damien pointed out.

“Are you saying I should prep our army?” Roman asked.

“Our army is always ready for war. I’m saying that you should be alert and vigilant. The last thing you need right now is to be caught off guard,” Damien warned.

“I don’t know what to do here dad. I can’t go to war with Mateo. At the end of the day, he’s still June’s mate,” Roman reminded.

“We’re all aware of that, but you also have a responsibility as a King to your people. If Mateo does launch a war against us, many lives will be lost if you choose to stand down and not fight back just because you want to be noble. Sometimes as a King, you need to make the tough decisions,” Damien advised.

“I know, and I get it, which is why I need your help with something,” Roman said.

Damien shifted, putting down the book he’d been reading. “I’m listening.”

“I want to find my mate,” Roman declared.

Damien shot him a weird look. “I thought you already found your mate. Are you trying to tell me that Marissa isn’t your mate after all?”

“I don’t mean it like that. I mean I want to find her body,” Roman elaborated.

“Her body?” Damien glowered.

Roman nodded. “This is the only thing that probably makes any kind of sense to me right now. Somewhere out there, is my mate’s body without her soul. How else would she be sharing a body with someone else?”

“We’ve already established that dark magic is at play here son, but do you really think that your mate’s body is out there somewhere?” Damien questioned.

“I’m almost certain of it. What I don’t know is where I’d even begin to look for it. June told me that she was born with both Starlet and Marissa in her, and that she only recently accepted to keep them both in her,” Roman informed.

“Alright, let’s say you’re onto something here. Let’s backtrack a little. Juniper is the daughter of Balthazar, a half Naturalist witch and half sorcerer, and Gail, a werewolf. Am I correct?” Damien asked.

Roman cocked his head to the side. “Yes and no. Gail was apparently made into a werewolf, but she was born a sorceress.”

“Ok, that still works. So, from that, it would be safe to assume that Starlet was born from Gail’s wolf side, and Marissa from Balthazar’s Naturalist side. We can also assume that the both of them have enhanced powers from both Gail and Balthazar’s sorcerer sides. Now, the problem comes with understanding where your mate’s body could possibly be. If Juniper says she was born with both Starlet and Marissa in her, then perhaps we need to look into Balthazar and Gail’s pasts. Somewhere there, lies an answer for us,” Damien suggested.

“Do you think they’d be willing to talk to me?” Roman asked.

“I’d like to think it’s actually long overdue, but that’s just my opinion,” Damien commented.

“They must hate me for disrupting their daughter’s life in the way that I have though,” Roman sighed.

“You did nothing of the sort, and I can guarantee that they know that. At this point in time, they just really want what’s best for her. I can’t imagine that things like Mateo taking over the Werewolf Castle are helping in any way, but that’s their main concern right now,” Damien comforted.

“Do you think I should try and convince her to go and see them?” Roman asked.

Damien smiled. “Son, we both know that’s impossible. Even if you did manage to convince her, the person going wouldn’t be their daughter. I have nothing against your mate, but even I truly believe that she isn’t her best self right now. Rather let her stay here and live the way she wants to.”

“We got into a fight. I demanded that she be there for the twins because they need their mother,” Roman confessed.

Damien raised an eyebrow. “And why would you do such a daft thing?”

“I don’t know. It seemed right in the moment, and it’s not like I’m wrong. The twins do need their mother,” Roman maintained.

“That’s true, except she isn’t their mother,” Damien reminded.

“I mean, in a way she is right?” Roman asked unsurely.

Damien shook his head. “No son, she isn’t. Everyone in the room caught the disdain she had towards them. That isn’t even a PTSD kind of situation. She wanted nothing to do with them before they were born, and she definitely wants nothing to do with them now.”

“I messed up,” Roman groaned.

Damien laughed a little. “The lucky thing for you is that you’re allowed to mess up simply because your situation is quite different from normal mating situations.”

“Are you saying that I can’t mess up once it becomes a normal situation?” Roman grinned.

“Now I didn’t say that. Messing up is a natural part of life,” Damien scolded, making Roman laugh.

“I know, I know. I just wish I had a hand guide or something on how to navigate all of this,” Roman complained.

“We all wish we had some sort of hand guide to everything son, but life doesn’t work like that. Life is about stumbling along and learning some lessons as you go along. Every now and then it rewards you, and it’s obviously harder for some people than others, but eventually you’ll find your feet. You just need to keep your head high and have faith in yourself and all the decisions you make. If you doubt yourself, you’ll open the doors for everyone else to doubt you,” Damien counselled.

“Thanks dad! I needed that!” Roman beamed.

“It’s what I’m here for son. Now, I don’t know what you plan to do from this point onwards, but I’ll help where you want me to,” Damien told him.

“Can you set up that meeting for me with Balthazar and Gail? I’d really like to talk to them. I really believe that talking to them will give me some much needed insight on cracking the whole thing with Marissa and Juniper,” Roman requested.

“I’ll get right on it and get back to you,” Damien agreed.

For the first time in a long time, Roman was feeling fired up and he was ready to act.

Somewhere else in the castle, Marissa was sitting alone in a dark room. She wouldn’t know what the room is or what it’s used for. She just found it while she was walking around, looking for a quiet space to just think.

She’d been sitting in the room for hours, wondering why her mate hadn’t bothered to find her. She knew he hadn’t bothered because their mate link hadn’t been nudged. She’d hidden her scent, but if he was looking for her, he would’ve at least nudged their link.

Eventually her thoughts lingered away from Roman, and instead travelled to Tagoromaen, her true mate. She couldn’t help but wonder why his spirit was still repressed when she could feel it surfacing in Roman.

It was the very reason why he’d snapped at her earlier.

It didn’t take her long to figure it out, and from how confused he seemed when he’d walked out of the room, she’d figured out that Roman had no idea that he was really a whole other person.

A whole other powerful person.

She knew though, that soon enough, her mate would fully surface, and she wasn’t sure what that meant for anyone. The last time they were all living their lives as their true selves, all was going well.

Until that fateful day.

She shuddered just thinking about it, especially because she’s the only person who knows what truly happened that day. With her spirit awakened, as well as Tagoromaen resurfacing, she could only guess that somewhere out there, Khalel and Zeumatero were also finding themselves in the new world.

What she couldn’t understand was why she could no longer feel a bond to her other sisters. Her links to Saelone and Isisily were not there, and she wasn’t completely sure what that meant because a huge part of her refused to believe the worst.

She refused to believe that they’d met their demise, especially because they weren’t there that day.

She and Stalaenys however were there. She already knew that Starlet had figured out that she was behaving the way that she was because of a past life, so she knew that it was only a matter of time before her sister would have her old life come back to her too.

She sat, taking in the silence in the musty room as she tried to think about where her body could be. She already knew that her soul didn’t belong in Juniper’s body. It just wasn’t as perfect a fit as Starlet and Juniper were.

Her body was out there somewhere and she could only hope that it wasn’t with him.

A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Roman would never find it if that were the case, and she knew that it would be stupid for her to go searching for it on her own. She would need help, even though she didn’t know who she’d turn to.

She had after all managed to successfully shun everyone in her life.

She couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander to the last time she, her sisters and their mates had gotten together.

*FLASHBACK*

“I thought we were in the Underworld,” Stalaenys teased.

Marionessa rolled her eyes. “Funny.”

“I thought so too,” Stalaenys winked.

“She’s blunt, but she’s got a point. What you and Romaen have managed to do with this place is amazing. One can’t even say it’s the mighty Underworld, the scariest place you could ever go to,” Saelone commented.

“I’m just glad I can breathe fine,” Isisily mumbled.

“I’m really sorry about that. We thought we had the whole thing with you guys being to breathe here under control,” Marionessa told her.

“It’s ok. We’re still alive and that’s all that matters. Now, what other new changes have you made to the scariest place you’ll ever go to?” Isisily taunted, making Stalaenys and Saelone laugh while Marionessa rolled her eyes.

The sisters walked through the castle as Marionessa showed them the new developments. The four castles had changed over the years, with the sisters especially doing their best to keep up with the times. While the structures remained more or less the same on the outside, the insides progressed with the times.

And their mates knew better than to interfere.

“How are you guys?” Marionessa asked once they were settled in her tea room.

“I’m great, nothing to complain about,” Saelone responded.

“Really? Not even Khal?” Isisily teased.

Marionessa and Stalaenys giggled while Saelone glared at their sister. “You people need to stop it. There’s nothing wrong with my mate.”

“He’s just happens to complain more than the average woman,” Stalaenys jested.

“At least he’s vocal. Could you possibly imagine living with Draex?” Saelone poked.

“Hey now! My mate is quiet, but I’d like to think that beats being angry all the time,” Isisily said before her eyes widened.

The sisters looked to Stalaenys worriedly as tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry Laen.”

“It’s ok,” Stalaenys whispered.

“How are things between you guys?” Marionessa asked her.

She shrugged. “Like you said, he’s forever angry. He’s become obsessed with getting revenge. I’ve tried to talk him into having other kids and he accused me of trying to replace the children we lost. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m really hoping that the brothers will be able to get through to him somehow, though I doubt it.”

“Have you told him that you feel ignored?” Saelone asked.

“I wouldn’t dare. Zeus growls at anyone who says anything he doesn’t want to hear, and Tero just lets it be. I’m beginning to think that I’ve lost my mate to his beast, and at this point in time, I don’t know what’s worse; losing my kids, or losing my mate while he still lives,” Stalaenys admitted.

When she started crying, her sisters huddled together to comfort her, while Zeumatero was hit with an overwhelming amount of sadness and pain. He stopped in his tracks as it knocked the wind out of him.

“And now?” Khalel asked him.

“I have to find my mate,” Zeumatero whispered.

“Why? What’s going on?” Tagoromaen questioned.

“I think, I think I broke her heart,” Zeumatero admitted as a lone tear escaped his eye.

The brothers could understand the weight of the situation and they left in search of their mates. When they arrived to find them comforting Stalaenys, everything made sense and Zeumatero felt like the worst mate in the world.

“Baby doll,” he said lowly.

Stalaenys’ head shot up, her eyes red. “You haven’t called me that in years.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said, opening up his arms. She got up and ran into them, and relief filled their siblings.

They’d all been secretly worried about whether or not the two of them would eventually find their way to each other again.

“How about you head back home and we’ll come and see you guys in a couple of days?” Tagoromaen suggested.

Stalaenys shook her head. “We barely get to see each other like this. We’ll stay and then figure out our relationship when we get home.”

“Are you sure?” Draexylon asked. Zeumatero looked to his mate, silently communicating with her, and she nodded.

“We’re sure,” he confirmed.

“Alright! Well, we don’t actually have any fun things planned for you guys. We figured we’d do things differently this time round and just bond. We haven’t done that in a while,” Tagoromaen told them.

“For once, your boring idea is welcomed,” Khalel taunted, making everyone laugh while the Demon King rolled his eyes.

***

Marissa smiled to herself. That was the last time they’d met up, but it was also the best time they’d had together. For the first time in a long time, they hadn’t worried about anything, and no one had been attacked or hurt.

A peace that only lasted days before their demise.

Looking around her, she realized why she’d drifted to the room. While the years had passed, the room had clearly been forgotten, but she evidently hadn’t forgotten about it. This was the very same room where her tea room used to be.

And so, she stayed there for a couple more hours, reliving the happier times of her past.

***

Boris and Auriela were still shook by his discovery when they arrived downstairs where everyone was. Domitius was about to speak up when Rixon and Ophelia clutched their chests, their eyes widened.

“No,” Faith whispered.

Before they could panic, Aerie appeared before them. “The Werewolf Kingdom has been attacked.”

“Where do you come from?” Mark asked her.

They hadn’t even noticed that she’d left.

“I’ve just come from the Werewolf Castle and I have disturbing news,” she said.

“We’ll listen to you when we come back. We need to get to the castle,” Ophelia said, panicked as she stared at Balthazar.

“Wait! That’s what I’m trying to tell you! You can’t go back to the Werewolf Castle,” Aerie told them.

“And why not?” Rixon asked.

“Because Mateo has taken over the castle and declared himself the King.”

Silence washed over the room as different expressions looked back at her. There was mostly confusion and disbelief, and she knew that there would be a chance that no one would believe her. She was proven right when Maya started laughing.

“For a moment, I thought you said that Mateo had taken over the Werewolf Castle and that he’d declared himself King,” Maya said as she continued to laugh.

“She’s right.”

All heads turned towards the new voice in the room, and they were taken aback to find that it was Max. “You’re back?”

“I am. I know I left abruptly, and I do apologize for that,” he said, looking straight at his mate. Aerie sent him a small smile in response.

“Anyway, Aerie is right. I was on my way here when I caught word of the attack at the Vampire Kingdom, and I had an inkling that whoever had attacked would be gunning for the Werewolf Kingdom next. Based on the fact that you didn’t even notice that Aerie was gone, I’m going to guess she had the same thought that I did and headed there too, which also means she saw what I saw,” Max said, to which Aerie confirmed with a nod.

“And that is?” Balthazar asked.

“They didn’t exactly attack the kingdom. They just made everyone think that they were being attacked. Before you ask, I’m going to guess that the fairies are involved here, so their fairy dust was used for the illusions. There were a whole lot of other creatures there, and I’m pretty sure the whole point was to cause confusion,” Aerie explained.

“And it worked because everyone genuinely believed that the place was under attack. By the time they realized it wasn’t, the dragon had done its damage, and Mateo and his people had taken over the castle. I believe one of them is the imposter,” Max added.

“So, this was the imposter’s end game then?” Orion asked.

“I highly doubt it. Something tells me that this is only the beginning of whatever’s coming,” Dante said knowingly.

“The attack at the Vampire Kingdom was a distraction,” Anastasia realized.

“If Mateo is involved, then he obviously knew that we’re all friends now, and that we’d rush to help where we could, thus leaving our own castle unattended,” Rixon pieced together.

“I don’t get it though. What does Mateo gain from being King?” Faith questioned.

“The ball is in his court right now, so we have to wait for him to make a move so that we can establish what their game plan is here,” Max replied.

“Was anyone hurt?” Ophelia asked worriedly.

“I think the whole point was to make sure that some people were hurt, but there were no fatalities. It also looked like the dragon was being very strategic about its strikes,” Aerie responded.

“Are you saying that it’s working for someone?” Mark asked her.

“Oh, I know that it is. The dragon’s a female, and she’s working for the imposter. He had his eye on her the whole time. I still don’t know what he is since he didn’t shift into anything and I couldn’t find his scent. He and Zeus didn’t participate in anything. They just stood there and watched everything before heading inside the castle where the imposter told Zeus to take up his place as King,” she informed.

“And he just went over and did just that?” Maya asked unsurely.

“Happily so,” the mates confirmed.

Boris frowned. “Something doesn’t make sense about this. If the imposter is truly in control of this whole situation, then wouldn’t he want the power for himself? Especially after going out of his way to tarnish Mateo’s name in the first place?”

“This imposter is really starting to get on my nerves. We need to figure out who he is, and what his end game is,” Jacob said irritably.

“Except we can’t do that without somehow getting close to Mateo, and the last time we saw him, he made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want us anywhere near him. Also, let us not forget that he referred to the imposter as his brother. There’s no way he’s going to choose anyone over his brother,” Boris pointed out.

“Except June,” Mark commented.

“Except June isn’t here, so we need another plan, and fast,” Maya pointed out.

“We’ll go and talk to him,” Max said.

“You and who?” Gail asked him.

“Aerie and I,” he replied.

“We will?” Aerie asked in confusion.

He nodded. “We will.”

“Uhm, not to be a buzzkill or anything, but last I heard, Zeus wants you dead. Are you sure about this?” Faith asked Max.

“Zeus is pissed off at me, yes, but he won’t kill me. I mean too much to June and Star for him to kill me and he knows it, no matter how pissed off he is. Besides, I highly doubt he’d want to kill the only person linking him to his mate right now,” Max said confidently.

“Well then! May your confidence keep you protected and not get you killed. We’ll wait to hear what you come back with before we plot our next move,” Balthazar declared, to which they all agreed upon.

***

Zak and Avan were watching over the twins when they felt a weird vibe take over the room. They immediately got up and rushed over to protect the twins only to find that the weird vibe was coming from the babies.

Before they knew it, it was like they’d been sucked into an alternate world. They were in a field, and when they looked around them, they spotted four different castles. They recognized one of the castles as the very one they were in.

It didn’t take them long for their knowledge from Odessa’s world to sink in as they recognized the other three castles as the Werewolf Castle, the Vampire Castle, and Atlantis. They were most surprised about the latter since it was on land.

They waited for some sort of sign or anything really that would point them in the direction of where they had to go, or what they had to do, but nothing came. Instead, they stood there for the longest time until finally, the ground began to shake.

In their true nature, they weren’t terrified. They watched as a dark cloud began to move until it landed over the Vampire Castle. A lightning bolt struck the roof of the castle, before the cloud moved on to do the same thing above the Werewolf Castle and Atlantis.

When it landed above the Demon Castle, there was no lightning strike. Instead there was an eerie silence, until the cloud started to become what looked like a dome made of smoke as it descended to cover the whole castle.

The ground began to shake once more before the other three castles were swallowed up.

Zak and Avan looked to each other in confusion, especially when they found that they couldn’t speak, until there was a loud roar from the Demon Castle. The shadow looking smoke ascended into the sky in the shape of a dragon, before the word Rome echoed through the air.

Before they knew it, they were pulled back to reality and were shocked to find that they actually knew the reason why they’d just experienced what they did.

“The Vaulsino has settled.”