The Alphas & The Heiress

Play with Fire – Sam tinnesz

Insane, inside the danger get me high

Can’t help myself got secrets I can’t tell

I’ve always liked to play with fire

__ __ __

Incandis

Two hours pass by agonizingly slowly. I tried eating, but, like Rohanor and Varian, I can’t stomach anything while Magnolia is gone. Despite showing them all to their own suites, one by one we all ended up back in Mags’ office. I notice that Kat has showered and changed into some of the spare clothes I had the staff leave for her. I’m surprised by how much I like seeing her wearing the colors of the grove.

The Alphas pace around the room, occasionally a fireball will appear in their hands. They toss them around mindlessly for a while before ultimately extinguishing them, only to do it all again a minute later.

I go over every second of the attack in my mind. I can’t get the sound of Kat screaming out my head, can’t stop seeing Mags bleeding unconscious on the cold, stone floor. First my father and uncle, and now my queen… my little sister. Bile rises in my throat at the unthinkable.

My phone rings, rescuing me from my dark line of thinking.

“Incandis.”

“Sir, it’s Doctor Alers. The queen’s injuries have been healed. The blade missed her heart by an inch, passing through only muscle and bone.”

I breathe a momentarily sigh of relief. “Why wasn’t she healing on her own?”

“We suspect the blade may have been dipped in some kind of poison. Her blood work came back positive for ‘Hemorrdexal’, more commonly known as Sanguine Death. Once we counteracted the poison her self-healing kicked in and stopped the bleeding. I stitched up the wound so her body wouldn’t have to work as hard.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s been relocated to her suite. I must caution you…though she is healed, she will need at least a day to regain her full energy. It’s taken a lot out of her body to heal the damage she suffered.”

Ha. Getting Mags to take it easy for an entire day? An impossible task if ever there was one.

“Thanks doc.”

“It is my honor to serve the queen.”

I hang up the phone and look up to four sets of eager eyes.

“That was the doctor, they healed the wound but she needs to rest. She’s been moved to her room.”

The Alphas immediately start heading to the door but I cut them off before they can reach it, incurring menacing growls from both of them.

“Look, I’m not going to keep you from her, I just need to talk to her first. Then she’s all yours.” I say with raised palms. “Maybe you’ll have more luck getting her to stay in bed and rest.” I mutter mostly to myself but their subtle grins confirm that they heard me.

I lead everyone out of her office and up to her door. I need to check on her, make sure she’s really okay.

Maybe this attack will make her more cautious. Maybe she’ll realize how much she means to the grove, to our family, to me.

— — —

Syble (Magnolia)

I’m lying on my bed looking up at the ceiling, the damage from the attack has already healed, giving away no indication that there had been a 10 inch blade stuck there just a few hours before.

Suddenly my door opens without warning, I’m too tired to be bothered to see who’s invading my space. I don’t have to wonder for long as Incandis’ voice fills the room. “I came to check on you,” he says, making me roll my eyes, “but it seems like you’re alright. I mean – are you? Alright, that is?”

“Never better,” I retort. I was just deceived by people I knew better than to trust and we’re no closer to finding our father and uncle.

Incandis sighs and steps further into the room. “You don’t need to do that, you know?”

I roll my eyes again, “what is it that I’m doing, exactly?”

“Pretending like you can do everything on your own, suppressing your emotions like you’re made of stone.”

I sit up immediately at his comments, rage beginning to boil within me. “Funny, considering you act as if I’m made of glass. I may not be made of stone but I certainly won’t break every time I get a scratch.”

“A scratch?!” he asks incredulously, “Mags, that blade was an inch from your heart!”

My fire licks at me under my skin, threatening to let my anger ignite me.

After a minute, Incandis grits lowly, “I refuse to lose you, too.” With that he turns on his heels and leaves my room, slamming the door behind him.

I lay back down, covering my face with my hands to muffle my frustrated groans. Just as my heat was dissipating, there’s a knock at the door before it opens again without my consent.

“Dis, please let it go. I’m fine.”

I had half expected Incandis to come back in, he has never liked to let tension go unresolved for long. What I didn’t expect was to hear Ro’s voice instead, “Of course you are, why wouldn’t you be?”

I quickly cover my surprise and sit up to face not only him, but Kat and Varian as well. My feet rest on the floor, one foot crossed over the other, while my arms cross defensively over my chest.

Kat hops over the back of the L shaped couch and lays down on her back, making herself at home. Varian walks around and sits on the floor in front of her with his back resting against the couch.

Ro looks at me expectantly, tilting his head as if inviting me to sit with them. Silently I shake my head, reluctant to get close to them just yet.

Simply being in the proximity of the twins both calms and infuriates me, like my body and my mind are at war with one another wondering if I can trust them anymore after today’s attack.

I let all the pent-up questions run through me. Why does this happen when they’re near me? Why do I get goosebumps and sparks whenever we touch, however innocuous that touch is? Ever since meeting them my thoughts are consumed by them, wanting to be in their company, wondering if they’re equally affected. Did they mean it when they begged me to stay, when they demanded that I tell them I’m theirs? How can I trust them again? What if they were the ones behind the attacks? —

A throat clear snaps me out of my thoughts and back into the moment, “hmm? Sorry what did you say?” is all I can manage to stumble out.

A brief chuckle rumbles from deep within Ro’s chest. “I said, what’s on your mind?” It shouldn’t be surprising to me anymore how uncanny his senses are, especially where my emotions are concerned. I wonder, not for the first time, if he can read my mind.

Kat’s soft voice asks “Do you want to talk about today?” I hesitate, unsure of how to answer. Yes I want to talk about it, I want to know how those fuckers got the drop on us. How could I be so blind, letting some fledgling crush cloud my judgment?

Varian interrupts my inner self-admonishment, “there is something we’d like to talk about, Syble.”

I don’t like the way he almost hisses out my name, as if it burns his tongue, but I choose to ignore it. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

A moment later I hear Ro’s deep, commanding voice demand, “Who are you?”

I pale instantly at his question, but recover quickly offering him an incredulous look. Don’t tell me they think I was behind the ambush. “What exactly are you asking?” I grit out.

He looks directly at me and asks again, “Who are you, really.”

“I’m Syble? I -,” before I can continue, a low, guttural growl cuts me off.

“Don’t lie to us,” Rohanor grits out.

I give an exasperated groan and drop my head forward so my chin is tucked into my chest. I close my eyes beneath the blind fold and shake my head as if the gesture would make my thoughts any clearer.

“What do you care who I am?”

“We just want some answers, we know you were the target of today’s ambush.” Ro says lowly, a snarl forming on his lips.

“We know you may call yourself Syble, but you go by another name.” Varian smirks before adding, “Incandis frequently slips up.”

Kat scoffs, “Not to mention the death glare you shoot him every time he does.”

“And how he looks at you.” At this I lift my head and look towards Ro, “Like you’re precious to him.” He holds my gaze, but there’s a hint of an unfamiliar emotion in his eyes. Like he’s afraid — jealous.

Kat interrupts our silence, “It’s interesting how he looks at you, considering we know he’s not your mate.”

There’s that word again. She must sense my confusion at the word ‘mate’ because she continues, “your soulmate, if you will. Your other half.”

Realization crashes over me. They think I’m together with Incandis. All this time? I laugh loudly at how completely wrong they are. The twins share a look between them and growl slightly at my reaction.

“That’s what you think? That there’s something between me and Incandis? You think so little of me that I’d blatantly disrespect my romantic partner by returning your advances in front of him?” I scoff, each question coming out angrier than the one before.

I’m now on my feet, pacing back and forth in front of my bed. I’ve never cared what anyone thought of me, but with them I am perfectly insulted by what little they think of me.

“You have no right to be upset when you’ve been keeping secrets at every turn.” Varian snaps.

“And you haven’t?” I gesture haphazardly towards them with my hands. “How am I to know you weren’t behind today’s attack, your trackers led us to that cave, into that ambush –”

A deafening growl emanating from the twins rips through the room cutting me off mid stride.

Varian and Ro shoot up from their places on the couch, heat rolling off of them as they attempt to reign in their wolves.

“No matter what you may think,” Ro says slowly, authority dripping from every word, “we would never put you in harm’s way.”

“How am I supposed to believe that?!” I shout, flames briefly flaring around my arms and chest.

“Because you’re our mate, damn it!”