The Empath : The Alterealm Series Book 3

We moved to a large dining room. Large may have been understating it, I’d seen restaurants smaller than this room. There was a long, polished wooden table with chairs surrounding it. On the walls were portraits of ancestors, judging by the fact that the males in the room resembled the people in the portraits in one way or another.

I sat there looking around at the seven men, still a little shocked they were brothers. What woman in her right mind would keep going after giving birth to the first few? Incredible, was my first thought. Well done, mom, was the second. Each one was a varying degree of good looking, from cute-baby-faced to ruggedly-hot. It seems the genes were good on this side of whatever they called it.

“Sorry I’m late. Am I late? I think I’m awake at night instead of day, this past week has been hell on my system. I’ve been to more locations in this realm this week than I have in a hundred years.” A man said wandering in a different door than we had used. He was identical to the man Daxx was with, except he had a goatee. He looked like he’d just crawled out of bed. Not that I’d tell him, but half-asleep looked good on him.

Walking toward the table, he stopped and looked at me and then around to the others. “What have I missed? We seem to have an extra body today.” He looked around again. “A female body.”

“Nothing wrong with your observational skills.” I said quietly.

He grinned, a real player’s smile at me. “And she’s sassy.” Holding a finger up, he winked at me. “Let me get coffee and wake up, then I can keep up with a bit of sass.” Turning, he went and sat down.

I glanced to Troy. “How many brothers are there?”

“There’s eight of us. This is Chase…” He shook his head. “Actually, there’s nine, but one we haven’t even met… the one from your side.” He motioned to Crissy. “She’s trying to find him.”

Crissy nodded enthusiastically. “The man in the club I was looking for.”

I nodded, remembering our last bizarre meeting in the club. My side and their side. Side of what, I debated on asking.

Crissy pointed to the quiet Arius. “He looks almost identical to Arius, only with shorter hair.”

I studied him for a moment. “I think I may have seen him at the club, but not recently.” A male as striking as that, you couldn’t help but notice.

“I hope he hasn’t vanished again.” Crissy said with a sigh. “It wasn’t easy going through three hundred years of records to track him down.”

“He’s three hundred?”

She nodded.

“I guess I’m not that old…” I stopped talking. It wasn’t like me to give away anything about myself. I didn’t know what was with this group, but as far as I could tell they were emotionless. I picked up a few spikes of emotions, but they were nothing compared to what I was used to. Instinct told me to run, but my mind was way beyond curious.

“How old are you?” Daxx asked me.

I studied her for a moment, not sure if I should answer.

“Alona, it’s okay.” Crissy nodded. “

I stared at her. “How do you know that name? I haven’t used it in—” I blew out a breath, trying to remember how long. “I don’t know how many years.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know how I knew, I just did.”

“What name are you using now?” Victor asked as he wrapped his arm around Crissy’s shoulder.

I still couldn’t see how those two ended up together, but he clearly cared for her. “I have been using Isabell for the last six months, before that it was…” I waved my hand around, it wasn’t important. “Another name.”

Crissy looked at me for a moment, an odd look on her face. “You don’t look like an Isabell.”

I smirked. “Most people don’t stop to see if you look like your name.” Not that I became well enough acquainted with most people to share my name of the moment.

“Alona is your birth name?” Michael asked me, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. He reminded me of a cop. Did they have cops here?

“Yes.”

He nodded for a moment. “Do you know who your parents were?”

I shrugged. “I am assuming a man and a woman.” I crossed my arms and studied him. I didn’t know these people, I was not revealing anything until I knew what they were all about.

He sighed and then seemed to drop the hard appearance. “I only ask because we are trying to figure out how residents from this side got over to the other side, and apparently frequently enough to have relationships.”

“Getting a woman pregnant isn’t exactly a relationship.”

“You knew your mother than?” Leone asked, his tone much more compassionate than his cop-like brother.

“Yes, until she died from a broken heart when I was ten. Then I was shuffled off to the orphanage.” I shook my head. “I didn’t care for it, so I didn’t stay very long.”

Chase snorted but didn’t say anything.

“There’s a pattern.” Crissy said softly.

Victor looked down at her, appearing to wait patiently for more.

She pointed to Daxx and then me. “We were all in the system.” Taking off her backpack she opened it while talking quietly to herself. “I need to look in my book, maybe I can piece more together.”

I realized then that the others weren’t really paying attention to her.

The big hearted one, Quinton, I think his name was, got up and came down to sit across from me. “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through, over there and not knowing who you really were.”

“You have no idea.” I glanced around at the others trying to decide how much to share in order to find out more. “Crissy said her friends,” I waved my hand toward the others, “were like me… how like me?”

He smirked. “Your eyes turn to what color?”

I leaned back in the chair and studied him for a few more seconds. “Red.”

Grinning, he waved his hand around, “then you’re the same as all of us, except Chase and the girls.”

I turned to look at Chase, his eyes were bright yellow. He shrugged.

“I see.” I clasped my hands in my lap for a moment and thought about that. A whole group, possibly even culture, that were like me. Maybe my mothers’ stories weren’t delusions after all. “My mother spoke of my father, saying he had to get permission and arrange for her to go back with him.” I glanced at him. “I guess she wasn’t imagining it.”

The cute one, Rafael, sat down. “There’s no way he’d be denied bringing someone over if there was a child.”

I cleared my throat softly. “He didn’t know about me. My mother found out after he left to make arrangements. He never returned.”

“When was this?” Michael asked, not looking so hard and cop-like now.

I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “I was born after the war,” I looked around for a reaction, “the first one, during the influenza pandemic.” Mentioning my age didn’t even phase them. Which was a strangely comforting thing, I realized, to not be the oldest being in the room for once.

The twins both swore at the same time.

“During the transport ban.” Michael said looking to Victor, who nodded.

“Transport ban?” Daxx asked.

Her man leaned closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. “During the outbreak, we had to ban inhabitants from crossing over, we’re just as susceptible to disease and have many humans living here.” He glanced at his twin. “We were trying to protect our own.”

My heart started beating twice as fast in my chest then it should. I held my hand over it, hoping to slow it down. “Are you saying my father couldn’t come back to my mother?”

“It’s quite probable.” Victor told me as he stood up. He started undoing buckles and then took the large swords off his back and hung them on the chair and then shrugged out of his jacket.

My heart jumped into my throat and I scrambled off the chair in a very ungraceful way and pointed to his arm. Covering my mouth, I shook my head. It couldn’t be. “Where—why do you have that tattoo?” His eyes were green…

He held out his arm and looked at it and then to me, confusion on his face.

“Oh,” Crissy jumped up and pulled her arm out of her jacket and held it out, “we both have it. See.” She held out her arm.

Shaking my head, I backed up. It couldn’t be.

Victor paused and looked at me. “I can assure you, my mark is very recent and I have never had any dalliances on the other side.”

“Alona? Did your mother have one? A tattoo down her arm?”

It took a second for it to register that Chase was speaking to me. I looked at him, still not sure if I could speak and nodded my head yes.

“Shit.” He looked at his twin. “They were mated.”

“Wouldn’t he have told someone, so he could go get her?” Michael asked looking angry.

Victor shook his head looking upset as well. “I would think he would. Even with the ban, that would have been allowed.”

“They couldn’t have done the blood rite…” Troy mused quietly, “without it, living apart that long would…”

“Cause one to slowly go insane? With long bouts of depression?” I asked, trying to stay calm. I didn’t understand much of what they were talking about, but I did grasp one thing. My mother hadn’t been lying.

“Yes.” Troy said softly, compassion bleeding from his every pore.

Daxx looked like she was going to cry. “I can’t imagine it.”

“Even if he’d been over there illegally… any of us would have allowed him to go back to find his mate.” Quinton looked to Victor, “Right?”

Victor nodded, a very thoughtful expression on his face. “Did your mother ever tell you his name?”

I shook my head. “Not that I remember. All I know, is that I have his eyes.”

“Michael, go talk to the doctor and see if there’s any record of a male displaying symptoms of a mate loss during that time, hopefully he keeps accurate records. Also, get him to pull the history of all males we lost during that epidemic.” Victor turned back to Troy. “Do you still have records for any that applied to bring someone over during that period?” He glanced to Chase, “either of you?”

Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “We do, but I can’t see him having applied and being denied whilst bearing the mate’s mark.”

“Is there a chance he did go over and got sick there?” Daxx asked.

“We’ll have a record if he didn’t return.” Victor said, then dropped a quick kiss on Crissy’s head and walked out of the room.

I just stood there, trying to process all of this. My father hadn’t just bailed on my mother and me, at least that was my take on it. Everything I thought I knew for close to a century was now altered. I felt like the walls were closing in. “I think…” I looked around trying to decide. “I’d like some time...” I glanced at the door. “How do I get home?” I looked at Crissy, who turned and looked at Daxx.

“Are you sure you should go back if they’re following you?” She asked me cautiously.

I’d forgotten about that. “I will be fine. I’ll just stay at my apartment.” I took a deep breath and then exhaled. “I need some time away to process.”

“We’re going to see if we can find him.” Troy offered softly.

I nodded. Find my father. “I appreciate that, I truly do. I’ll give you my number…” I remembered the sides. “Will my number work? Can you call…” I didn’t know how to even ask.

“It will.” Daxx nodded. “I’ll give you mine also, if you need me or have questions you can call me.”

Taking my phone out of my pocket, I handed it to her. “Please just put it in my contacts.” It felt as if my insides were quivering in shock.

“We’ll let you know if we find out anything.” Chase came over and stood a few feet from me, his hazel eyes assessing my current state.

I wished him luck with that, as I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling right now. “Yes. That would be lovely.” I nodded again, just wanting to get out of here.

“Add my number, kitten, if that guy shows up she can call me. I’d like to have a chat with him.” He turned to look at Troy, who nodded like he’d spoken to him, then glanced to Arius. “Give her the transporter, so she can get back here if she needs to in a hurry.” Arius stood up and handed it to him. Opening it, he showed me. “Just push that button, while wearing it…” he smirked, “anyone you are touching will come back with you, but if they’re not meant to be on this side, they will most likely die in a few minutes if they’re not wearing it…”

That I understood. I looked to Crissy and opened my mouth. “I could have died?”

“Oh my gosh…” She whispered. “Is that what happens? I kept forgetting to ask.”

“It’s okay, cutie, Alona is meant to be here—you saw her, so we were sure she was safe too.” Chase assured her.

I took the device he held out and looked at it. There was only one button, so no chance of making a mistake. “It brings me to that room?”

“It does.” He tucked his hands in his pockets.

“How do I leave?” Daxx held out my phone, so I took it and put it back in my jacket pocket.

His hazel eyes kept moving over my face, and I couldn’t pick up on the emotions going through them as they did. “I’ll take you back, just tell me where.”

I glanced to Crissy. “Can’t Crissy take me back?”

Chase shook his head, “No, only members of the royal family can without a device, she may be able to without… but…” he turned and looked at Crissy for a second, “I don’t see Victor rushing to find out until she can focus on one thing at a time.”

“I see.” I wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of anyone knowing where I lived.

“It’s okay, really. If it wasn’t, I would have killed them all by now.” Daxx put her hand on my back and then her eyes widened. I felt her feeling the blade between my shoulders. She smirked. “A girl’s best friend.”

I nodded once. “Absolutely.”

“Anyone else feel like we’ve missed something?” Quinton asked.

Sighing, I turned around and pushed my jacket off my shoulders, so they could see the dagger hidden on my back. When I heard enough noise to let me know they had seen it, I put my jacket back on a turned around. “A girl can’t be too careful.” I shrugged.

Chase grinned wide. “Do all women over there carry concealed knives? I mean, seriously, the men don’t stand a chance.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “Only the smart ones, I suppose.”

“I think he’s talking about this.” Daxx pulled a small curved blade from behind her back. “I don’t go anywhere without my little raptor.”

I understood what he meant now, but still needed to get out of here. “Do you need an address, or what… to take me back?”

He shook his head. “Daxx probably could by address, I don’t know that city well, it has to be somewhere I’ve been to get there.”

“Just get me back to the old factory and I will get home from there.” I told him, hoping that was good enough.

“Wait.” Crissy came rushing over and hugged me briefly. “I’m sorry about your mom and dad.” She gave me a heartfelt look.

I inhaled sharply, her emotions smothering me. “Thank you. I’ve had decades to get over it. Mostly.” I stepped back, as I tried to build a barrier to block out some of her emotions. I nodded to the others in the room. “Thank you, all. I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon.” I glanced at Chase, more than ready to get out of here, even if it was with a strange man.

“I’ll be back shortly,” he said and glanced at his twin. Giving me a half smile, he put his hand on my arm. “Close your eyes, or you’ll get dizzy.”

I paused for a second and then closed them.